The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 658 Smokeless Gunpowder Banned from Sale to the Qing Dynasty

When Chen Zhengwei was cutting the ribbon in Los Angeles, a young girl wearing a hat and a veil was watching him in the crowd.

You can tell from her little movements that she is very excited.

"I thought you would be more sad!" A man in gentleman's suit whispered beside her.

"Maybe... a little aggrieved. But she is so beautiful!" The girl under the veil said softly, her eyes falling on Lin Changning's face from time to time.

The heroic look between the other person's eyebrows... made her very envious.

Cicely Dupont.

She came to Los Angeles this time mainly because the DuPont family came to confirm some things about gunpowder with Chen Zhengwei, and she also took the opportunity to see the city.

But if she reveals her identity and appears here, it will be difficult for everyone.

She didn't want things to turn out like that.

After cutting the ribbon, Chen Zhengwei took others to take the tram, and she waved from a distance.

She felt that Chen Zhengwei recognized her.

After everyone else got on the tram, she took a horse-drawn carriage to tour the city, and was very excited all the way.

“The sun is shining brightly here!”

Lin Changning, who was beside Chen Zhengwei, did not have much impact on her mood.

She will always be carefree.

The next day, Cicely got up early and went downstairs with her bodyguard to buy newspapers. As long as she was not with Chen Zhengwei, she would get up early.

The headline in the newspaper was about the ribbon-cutting in Los Angeles, and there were a few photos on it that only appeared in local newspapers.

Because text can be sent via telegram, but pictures cannot.

At the same time, in New York, Li Xiling, Ma Liu and others were also reading newspapers.

"So many celebrities and wealthy people are here to show their support, and even the White House is sending a special envoy. It's such an honor!" A sarcastic voice sounded.

"Los Angeles... why not call it Los Angeles?" Ma Liu muttered. A Chinese city is really enviable.

Unfortunately, it doesn't belong to them, and there is no place for them to stay.

This made him extremely jealous.

The longer he stayed in the United States, the less he liked Chen Lao Hu.

On the one hand, it was because of jealousy, and on the other hand, it was because the other party didn’t take them seriously at all, and they didn’t even have the chance to get to know Xu Yan.

The other party simply ignored them.

This made him feel more and more dissatisfied, but the other party was too powerful, so he didn't dare to show it.

I can only complain angrily when I am drinking with others.

And the Qing Embassy was two kilometers away from him.

"They have finally gained a foothold!" Ouyang Ming said softly.

In fact, the other side had already established a firm foothold, but the establishment of Los Angeles still has great significance for the Chinese.

He actually wanted to attend, but no one sent him an invitation.

Chen Zhengwei forgot.

Others forgot too.

After all, the Qing Dynasty envoy has a very low presence among the Chinese, and now Chinese Americans only recognize Chen Zhengwei.

Rong Jiacai and Rong Hong actually remembered, but they both deliberately did not invite the Qing Dynasty envoy to reduce the Qing Dynasty's influence on Chinese Americans.

Therefore, for such a big event as the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Los Angeles city founded by the Chinese, Ouyang Ming could only helplessly read the relevant news in the New York newspapers.

……

In Hancock, several black people walked into a small building.

"Nathaniel! Look, the Chinese city has been built!" A black man raised the newspaper in his hand and said happily.

"What does it say? Read it to me!" Nathaniel was also very happy to hear that.

The Chinese are their direction.

"Every ethnic group is an important part of this country! Every ethnic group has the right to live under the sun! And the establishment of this city is the American dream coming true..." A black man was reading the words in the newspaper, and Nathaniel waved his fist and said excitedly: "That's great!"

"We are also an important part of this country. There are more than six million of our compatriots in the United States. We also want to live under the sun!"

After listening to others reading the news, Nathaniel asked someone to cut out the news from the newspaper and post it on the wall: "This is our goal, and we will definitely achieve it!"

“I wish I could see this city in person!”

"Of course we will! When the war is over and the U.S. government agrees to our request, we will go and see it together."

"Look at what Los Angeles is like. We can learn from them! Build our own city!" Other black people also talked about this matter with great anticipation and interest.

For Chinese people, Los Angeles is more than just a city.

The same is true for them.

Although they are very powerful now, their actual situation is not good and they are under great pressure.

And no one knows how long the fight will last, when the US government will give them what they want, or whether they will live to see that day.

Therefore, we must live with our dreams in our hearts, otherwise we will not be able to persevere.

……

After staying in Los Angeles for two days, Chen Zhengwei returned to San Francisco.

Lin Changning went directly to the orphanage as soon as she returned to San Francisco. She also has to arrange the relocation of the orphanage recently.

The orphanage in Los Angeles is much better than the one in San Francisco.

Chen Zhengwei arrived at the club. Cicely Dupont, who was sitting on the sofa, waved at Chen Zhengwei with a bright face: "Hi!"

Then he walked briskly to Chen Zhengwei and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I saw your speech! It was amazing!"

After saying that, he put his arm around Chen Zhengwei and turned to look at the other people.

Cicely DuPont was accompanied by her father Eugene DuPont and a team sent by the DuPont family.

"Hello, Chen! Los Angeles' achievements are amazing." Eugene DuPont was very polite when facing Chen Zhengwei, and he needed to muster up his courage.

He was really afraid of Chen Zhengwei.

Even though he is Cicely's father, Chen Zhengwei can do anything.

"Hello, Mr. DuPont, you look good!" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"Go and notify the scholar to come over." Chen Zhengwei instructed Ah Cheng on the side.

Then he sat down and chatted with Eugene DuPont for a while, but Eugene DuPont's cautious look soon made Chen Zhengwei lose interest.

A moment later, Rong Jiacai rushed over.

"This is Mr. Eugene DuPont, from DuPont, the largest gunpowder company in the United States." Chen Zhengwei introduced while sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.

"Welcome to San Francisco, Mr. DuPont!" Rong Jiacai knew what was going on as soon as he heard it and extended his hand enthusiastically.

He also knew that the other party was Cicely's father. Chen Zhengwei could ignore the other party, but he couldn't.

"This is Rong Jiacai, my right-hand man!" Chen Zhengwei motioned Rong Jiacai to sit down. "We had an agreement with the DuPont family before! We licensed the smokeless gunpowder to them! They will produce and sell it." Chen Zhengwei said.

The two parties had signed an agreement before, and Chen Zhengwei took 15% of the sales.

Last year, the total sales of gunpowder in the United States was approximately 2000 million US dollars, which is actually a decrease from the previous period, with the market shrinking by at least or million US dollars.

The main reason is that some people have received news that the smokeless gunpowder in Chen Zhengwei's hands will be put on the market this year.

That is to say, under normal circumstances, the annual gunpowder market in the United States is around 2700 million, and it is increasing year by year. In addition to the production of weapons and ammunition, it is more used for railway construction and mining.

The cost of smokeless powder is much higher than that of black powder, and since it is exclusively sold by the DuPont family, the selling price will be five times that of black powder.

Because the price is too high, some industries will still choose to use black powder for the time being. However, a large number of foreign companies will purchase smokeless powder from DuPont, and annual sales are expected to exceed $100 million.

It can bring Chen Zhengwei at least 1500 million US dollars in income every year.

This is a monopoly industry. (This shows how much money Chen Zhengwei's two clubs make. They serve the richest people in San Francisco and the United States. They are truly a den of money.)
"By the way, the sale of smokeless gunpowder is prohibited in the Qing Dynasty!" Chen Zhengwei snapped his fingers, reminding Eugene DuPont with a hint of sarcasm in his smile.

"If they want to buy it, let them beg me!"

"You guys discuss the specific matters!" Chen Zhengwei said to the scholar.

Then he and Cicely went to the sofa next to him, and Cicely was almost hanging on him.

Less than half an hour later, the two went upstairs.

Arriving at Chen Zhengwei's office, Cicely looked around and saw two bear heads hanging on the wall.

"I killed it with my bare hands a few days ago!" Chen Zhengwei stretched out his hand to break the bear's fangs and boasted, "Do you know what I was thinking at the time?"

"I feel like I'm bullying a kid!"

"It's too dangerous! If it were someone else, I would definitely say that." Cicely hugged Chen Zhengwei's waist from behind, tilted her little face up, and pressed her chin against the muscles on Chen Zhengwei's back.

"Now I feel a little pity for the bear!" Cicely could feel the terrifying power emanating from Chen Zhengwei's body.

She felt that Chen Zhengwei was stronger than a bear.

Chen Zhengwei laughed and walked with Cicely to a door on the side. When they opened it, they saw the bedroom. It was a room of dozens of square meters with walls decorated with precious wood. In the middle was a large bed, big enough for several people.

Then Chen Zhengwei quickly closed the door again.

Damn, who threw those underwear there?

And it’s not just one.

"I think..." Cicely jumped onto Chen Zhengwei's back and gently bit his earlobe.

"The office is more exciting!" Chen Zhengwei turned around, picked up Cicely and put her on the desk.

……

The whole office was in a mess. Everything on the desk had fallen to the floor, and no one knew where the sofa cushions had gone.

Chen Zhengwei also had a stuffed grizzly bear head on his head.

God knows how Cicely suddenly came up with the idea of putting this thing on Chen Zhengwei's head.

Chen Zhengwei was lying on the sofa, and Cicely was lying on his chest, plucking the bear tooth on Chen Zhengwei's head with interest, as if she was studying how to pry it off.

"If I break it, will it look ugly?" Cicely suddenly asked while breaking the bear's tooth.

"Then give it a gold inlay, and it will thank you!" Chen Zhengwei put his big hand on Cicely's butt.

"Puchi!" Cicely burst into laughter, her body rolling back and forth like waves.

After laughing enough, she laid on Chen Zhengwei's chest: "I'm graduating soon, and I want to stay here."

"I left you a manor in Los Angeles!" Chen Zhengwei said. "But that will have to wait until you graduate... I have to go out for a while."

"Where?"

"Hawaii, Qing Dynasty, and Singapore, and maybe a trip to Europe." Chen Zhengwei said casually.

"I want to go and see it too!" Cicely said immediately.

"Next year or the year after... I'm going to solve some trouble this time!"

This visit to Europe was actually quite formal, his first official visit to Europe, so he had to bring Lin Changning along—and Wanyun, even though it would be a lot less fun.

He felt that the socialites in Europe must be very curious about him and wanted to explore his secrets.

Chen Zhengwei tried hard to reach out and take the cigarette box from under the coffee table on the sofa, but Cicely was on top of him and he couldn't reach it at all.

In a rage...he reached out and pushed Cicely to the ground.

Cicely fell on the thick floor and took out a cigarette box from under the coffee table with her backhand. She had just seen Chen Zhengwei's actions.

Then he opened the cigarette box, put a cigarette in his mouth, returned to Chen Zhengwei and hugged his neck, happily and proudly showing the cigarette in his mouth, then lowered his head and put the other end into Chen Zhengwei's mouth.

This cigarette has no filter, both sides are the same.

During dinner, Chen Zhengwei had his bedroom cleaned, and then he and Cicely returned to the club and played in the casino until midnight.

Cicely lost more than $8,000 of Chen Zhengwei's money!
……

At noon the next day, Chen Zhengwei got up from the bed and shook his head. He had drunk a lot in the casino last night, and the two drank a lot again after they came back.

He got up, smoked a cigarette, and sat in the office for a while before Cicely got up.

The two went downstairs to eat something, and Green would bring the "genius" over in a while.

At this time, Green and David Abagnale were sitting face to face in the carriage.

David Abagnale was asking with great interest: "Are you going to take me to see Mr. Chen?"

"He is my idol!"

"I have read Cicely's Love Letters several times... You know, those ladies and young ladies love this book. I almost memorized it."

When he was brought to San Francisco, he was a little nervous.

But after meeting Green, the uneasiness disappeared.

These days Green had someone dig deeper into his information to make sure there was indeed nothing wrong with this person.

Even if Chen Zhengwei doesn't like him, Green will still focus on training him.

"You have to watch your attitude when you meet the boss!" Green looked at David Abagnale and warned.

Only at this moment did this guy start to look like a country bumpkin in his early twenties.

"Of course!" David Abagnale's expression changed, and with a bit of restrained elegance and arrogance, he said in a low and magnetic voice: "Good afternoon, Mr. Chen!"

Then he gave a charming smile: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

At this moment, David Abagnale looked like a well-educated English gentleman, mature and steady, as if he had experienced a lot.

"Damn, this guy is a fucking acting genius!" Green cursed in his heart.

He thought his boss would like him.

Soon, the two arrived at the club, and when they came in, they saw Chen Zhengwei and Cecili sitting aside eating.

Green asked David Abagnale to wait aside, then walked over to Chen Zhengwei and said, "Boss, the person is here."

"Take him to my office and wait there," said Chen Zhengwei.

After dinner, Chen Zhengwei said to Xi Seli: "Have a drink here, I'll go take care of some things."

Then he went upstairs to the office.

(End of this chapter)